Surf Lesson at Canallave

Canallave is a 220-metre beach open to the north, with wind and currents, and the one most frequented by Liencres surfers. With a school, the open sea stops being a problem: two hours with an instructor, in a small group, with board and wetsuit. It is separated from Valdearenas by the Peñuescas rocks, and at low tide leaves a large expanse of sand between tides reaching as far as the Molinuco inlet, named after the remains of an old mill at the mouth of a stream.

The school

The Escuela de Surf Liencres has its module on Canallave beach itself. It gives surf and bodyboard lessons and courses, always with board and wetsuit included, in groups of 4 to 8 pupils per instructor, divided by age and experience.

Lessons and prices

• Single lesson: two hours, €30 per person, in a group.
• Five-day course: Monday to Friday, two hours a day, €130 per person.
• Private lesson: two hours, from €50 for one person and €90 for two.

Sessions are from 10:00 to 12:00, from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00. The school also has passes and equipment hire, which can be asked about separately.

What you learn

The beginner lesson starts on the sand with safety and the priority rules in the water, and goes on to how to get into the sea, paddle, stand up on the board, catch and ride the wave, turn, fall safely and return to the beach. If you want to really progress, the five-day course repeats each step with more time in the water.

Before booking

The website does not publish a minimum age, required level, insurance or cancellation policy: ask when you book. The website's contact form does not work; they write that you should book by email, at [email protected], or by phone, on 607 450 442. Bring swimwear, a towel, sun cream and something warm for afterwards: the Cantabrian Sea is cold almost all year. The beach has showers and parking, according to the town council's listing.

Why here

Canallave is inside the Dunas de Liencres y Costa Quebrada Natural Park and is an open-sea beach, windy and with strong currents, which the town council rates as quite dangerous for bathing. That is why it is not advisable to go in on your own if you cannot read the sea; with an instructor, the group is always supervised and the lesson adapts to the sea of the day.

How to combine it

After the lesson, the walk through the Liencres dunes is next door, and Valdearenas beach is on the other side of the Peñuescas. For lunch, Burdo Restobar, in the centre of Liencres, has a set menu on weekdays.